Life Counseling Orlando
Social Isolation And Addiction Recovery
Life counseling Orlando addiction recovery is a continual work in progress. Most people struggling with an addiction, whether it be to substances, sex, food, gambling, gaming, or any others, have seen how addiction affects all areas of their life. There are many levels to recovery which work together to support success. One component is that of social support and positive connections. Treatment for any addiction relies heavily on having access to resources, accountability, and staying consistent. Life counseling goals for addicts is multifaceted. An individual life counselor does more than just look at the addiction or the “addict.” The holistic approach that is used will consider all areas of lifestyle for the person in treatment and will work to build a reliable network of positive support.
IDENTIFYING TRIGGERS
This will include identifying “people, places, and things” that trigger them to continue making choices in favor of the addiction long after the dopamine rush has died off. During any stage of recovery, these triggers play an important role in the success or failure of a person seeking to stop a certain behavior. A goal of Life Counseling Orlando helps an individual see the connections between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This paves the path for creating positive thought patterns, promoting more positive feelings, and developing healthier behaviors.
SOCIAL ISOLATION IMPACT
One impediment to successful recovery is the loss of support. This can be self-imposed, financially imposed, or a result of a change in environment, such as we have seen with this recent pandemic. Many people have been without consistent support or access to their life counselor, or support groups.
Without the normal support and social connections that you once had access to, you might be noticing that you are struggling with cravings again. This is a good time to be mindful of the warning signs and reach out to a professional life counselor for help.
ADDICTION RECOVERY WARNING SIGNS
LIFE COUNSELING ORLANDO
If you’re in addiction recovery you may be currently experiencing some warning signs signaling relapse mode. Social distancing and isolation are risk factors for relapse. These two factors that have been environmentally necessary might have been keeping you away from the positive people, places, and things you have worked so diligently to include in your life counseling recovery goals. over the years in recovery. Look for these warning signs that its time to reach out for help again.
- Ask yourself if you have stopped working on your release prevention plan. Maybe it is time to reach out to your support system to revise or alter the plan in order for it to fit the current state of affairs. For example, if you do not feel comfortable attending meetings in person, you could attend a zoom AA/NA/CODA meeting once a week.
- Is your support system saying that you are acting differently?
- Are you mentally reopening old wounds?
- Are you Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired?
- How are you feeling today? Doing a daily inventory on your emotional well-being and seeing if there is anything in your environment that is particularly affecting you could be key in relapse prevention. Oftentimes it is our internal triggers rather than external that lead to relapse.
- Have you stopped doing day to day things that are important to you? Maybe it’s important for you to make the bed, or get up and shower and get dressed. Do you have some sort of daily ritual that you have stopped doing and justified why it’s no longer important? This one may seem insignificant but it’s a small cog in the greater machine of the spiral.
LIFE COUNSELING ORLANDO
FINDING THE BEST RECOVERY SUPPORT
Addiction recovery in a time of social isolation is a challenge to face for everyone involved in treatment, prevention, and practice. Life counseling Orlando goals begin with starting small, taking time to self-reflect, and changing one thing at a time. Your Life Counselor will encourage you to be honest with yourself and where you stand, no matter where that is. Reach out to the people you have identified as safe support or attend life counseling sessions online. Use self-compassion to gear yourself away from “stinking thinking,” guilt, and shame. If the serenity prayer works for you, use it! If not, find a mantra or saying that you love. Above all, be your own best friend.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction or their recovery, contact a life counseling Orlando expert today. There are recovery resources readily available in the community to get you feeling safe and grounded in your addiction recovery plan. We hear you, we see you and we want to connect with you. Call to speak to a Life Counselor today at Orlando ThriveTherapy or email the author of this article for more information.
